Selank

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Snapshot

Chemistry and make-up

Selank is a seven-residue peptide derived from the natural immunomodulatory tetrapeptide tuftsin (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg), with the same Pro-Gly-Pro C-terminal cap used in Semax [A]. As with Semax, that Pro-Gly-Pro tail is a stabiliser: it protects the tuftsin core from rapid peptidase degradation so the molecule persists long enough to act centrally [A]. It contains lysine and arginine (two basic residues, which is why the free base is fairly water-friendly), no cysteine, so no disulfide bonds, and no metal binding.

Usually supplied as the acetate salt. The same CoA discipline applies as for any “name-only” peptide: state the salt form and the observed mass, because acetate counterion changes the peptide content per milligram. Selank and Semax are frequently sold together and even combined in one nasal product, so identity confirmation by mass (751.9 for Selank vs 813.9 for Semax) matters to avoid mix-ups.

What it is studied for (evidence)

• Mechanism (preclinical [A]): acts as a positive modulator of GABAergic signalling and up-regulates BDNF in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, while modulating the enkephalin system (it inhibits enkephalin-degrading enzymes, prolonging endogenous enkephalin activity) and monoaminergic tone. In a rat model it protected against ethanol-induced memory impairment by restoring BDNF content (Kozlovskaya group, *Bull Exp Biol Med* 2019). It also shifts expression of GABAergic-neurotransmission genes in neuronal cell lines (*Front Pharmacol* 2017) [A]. The tuftsin heritage also gives it immunomodulatory activity (cytokine and interferon modulation).
• Established (within its evidence base): a consistent rodent and Russian clinical literature for anxiolytic and nootropic effects without the sedation, tolerance or dependence seen with benzodiazepines. In Russian trials in generalised anxiety disorder, Selank was reported to be comparable in anxiolytic effect to medazepam and phenazepam [A — Russian clinical]. It is a registered medicine in the Russian Federation, listed in the state register of medicines (GRLS, grls.rosminzdrav.ru) as an anxiolytic, developed by the Institute of Molecular Genetics with the Zakusov Institute of Pharmacology [B — GRLS state register is the primary source].
• Emerging / thin: as with Semax, the human evidence is Russian-language, single-region and small by Western standards, with no large randomised placebo-controlled Western trial and no FDA/EMA/MHRA approval. Independent Western replication of the anxiolytic claims is essentially absent. The “no dependence, no sedation” advantage is plausible mechanistically and reported in the Russian work but has not been confirmed in Western trials [A].
• Marketing claims vs data: vendors present Selank as a proven anti-anxiety and anti-depression treatment, often paired with SSRIs, and publish intranasal dosing. The evidence does not support treating it as an established human anxiolytic outside Russia, and responsible vendors do not publish dosing or treatment claims. “Treats anxiety/PTSD/depression” language turns it into an unlicensed medicine.
• Human clinical status: approved and prescribed in Russia (and reported in Ukraine); not approved in UK, EU or US.

Handling, format and stability

Supplied lyophilised; research handling reconstitutes with bacteriostatic water (no dosing here). Lyophilised powder is the stable form and behaves like Semax: broadly stable for around 24 months at minus 20 C desiccated and dark, shorter at 2 to 8 C, and only weeks once reconstituted [D — vendor stability claims, verify against your own data]. Reconstituted solution is cold-chain dependent and light-sensitive. Like Semax, Selank also circulates as an intranasal spray and in Semax+Selank combination sprays, which are human-use presentations and not the right framing for a research SKU.

Regulatory and trade status

• UK/EU RUO: legal to sell and possess as a research chemical; not a licensed medicine. Any human-use or anxiolytic treatment claim triggers the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 and MHRA scrutiny, so keep listings strictly research use only [B].
• Russia/CIS: registered medicine (the source of the clinical data), listed in the Russian state register of medicines (GRLS) [B].
• US: not FDA-approved; sold as a research chemical labelled not for human use. Selank acetate was removed from 503A Category 2 after its nomination was withdrawn (reported as September 2024, in the cohort with CJC-1295, ipamorelin, AOD-9604 and thymosin alpha-1; one secondary source instead lumps it into an April 2026 batch, so treat the exact date as unconfirmed [D]). Critically, Selank was NOT one of the seven peptides reviewed at the 23-24 July 2026 PCAC meeting (that cohort was BPC-157, KPV, TB-500, MOTS-c, Semax, Epitalon and emideltide/DSIP). Selank still awaits a later PCAC review, expected before the end of February 2027. The FDA had previously flagged Selank for risk of immune reactions and compounding impurities, consistent with its tuftsin/immunomodulatory heritage; removal from Category 2 is a holding state, not approval [B].
• WADA (sport): not an approved human drug in WADA-relevant jurisdictions, so treated under S0 (non-approved substances) and to be regarded as prohibited in sport. Not listed by name [B — verify current wording].
• Customs: lower profile than the GLP-1 class; main risks are marketing language and Selank/Semax identity confusion.

Sources

• [A] “Selank, Peptide Analogue of Tuftsin, Protects Against Ethanol-Induced Memory Impairment by Regulating BDNF Content…”, *Bull Exp Biol Med* 2019 — https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10517-019-04588-9
• [A] “GABA, Selank, and Olanzapine Affect the Expression of Genes Involved in GABAergic Neurotransmission in IMR-32 Cells”, *Front Pharmacol* 2017 — https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2017.00089/full
• [B] Russian state register of medicines (GRLS), primary registry for the Selank registration — https://grls.rosminzdrav.ru
• [B] FDA, Bulk Drug Substances Used in Compounding under 503A (Selank removed from Category 2 on nomination withdrawal; not in the 23-24 July 2026 PCAC cohort; awaits a later PCAC review before Feb 2027) — https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/bulk-drug-substances-used-compounding-under-section-503a-fdc-act
• [B] WADA Prohibited List (S0 non-approved substances) — https://www.wada-ama.org/en/prohibited-list
• [B] PubChem CID 11765600 (C33H57N11O9, MW 751.9)
• [D] Vendor/clinic pages (Peptidepedia, Superpower, CompoundGuide, nasal-spray retailers) — commercial; publish dosing and human-use claims we do not use; treated as leads only.

Plain summary

Selank is a Russian-developed seven-amino-acid peptide built from the immune peptide tuftsin; in animal and Russian clinical work it acts as a non-sedating anxiolytic that raises BDNF and boosts GABA and enkephalin signalling, and it is a registered anti-anxiety medicine in Russia, but it has no UK, EU or US approval and no large independent Western trial. Commercially the main traps are treatment-claim language (which would make it an unlicensed medicine) and mix-ups with Semax, so responsible vendors keep listings research use only and demand a CoA stating the salt form, the observed 751.9 mass, and ideally impurity/endotoxin data given the FDA’s immune-reaction flag.

For laboratory and research use only (RUO). Not for human or veterinary use, not for consumption, and not a medicine. Information is a research summary, not medical advice, and contains no dosing guidance.

For laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary use, not for consumption, and not a medicine. This is a research summary, not medical advice, and contains no dosing guidance.